


maybe this christmas

by melwritesthings



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Bughead Secret Santa, Christmas Fluff, F/M, this is the goofiest of fics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-26 21:56:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17149787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melwritesthings/pseuds/melwritesthings
Summary: "Betty wraps her legs about him, kissing him desperately. He rocks slightly against her and Betty gasps against his mouth.Behind them, the dining room door swings open.Jughead lets go of Betty immediately, who drops to her feet rather ungracefully.'So,' Chic says through gritted teeth, steely eyes boring into Jughead’s skull, 'is this the gift you’re making for me?'”[a silly fluffy Christmas fic written for bughead secret santa 2018]





	maybe this christmas

**Author's Note:**

> happy holidays, all! this is my fic gift for exmachina187 over on tumblr for secret santa. the prompt was betty and jughead sneaking around and hiding their relationship from chic... and my brain ran with it. hope you enjoy!

“This is going to be a disaster,” Betty moans, throwing her arms over her face.

 

 “It is absolutely _not_ going to be a disaster, B, now would you please stop being so dramatic while I paint your toenails?”

 

 “How could we think this would work out? That we could just sneak around and think Chic wouldn’t find out? How are we going to get through the next few days, V? He’s going to find out and he’s _going to kill us—”_

 

Veronica sets down the nail polish and grabs her friend by the shoulders.

 

“Betty! Calm down! You’ve been successfully hiding this secret for two months, why would the next two days be any different?”

 

Releasing Betty, she picks up the bottle of red polish and resumes her work.

 

“Because, Veronica,” Betty sighs, “Jughead and I have just been meeting here at our place or uptown, and the next two days are going to be spent at my parent’s house… with my entire family!”

 

“Look, B,” Veronica says simply, “I know you’re worried about Chic finding out that you’ve been having earth-shattering sex with his roommate—don’t look at me like that, the walls here are _very_ thin—but do you really think it will be that big of a deal?”

 

Betty rubs her face and sits up. “Yes, yes I do think it will be a big deal,” she snaps, “Chic is my big brother and the very thought of me even high-fiving a boy, much less sleeping with his best friend, is catastrophic.”

 

“Well maybe,” Veronica teases, “it’s time your brother understood that you aren’t a baby anymore and that you and Jughead are perfectly able to make your own decisions.”

 

“Easier said than done, V,” Betty says gently, “Chic is just very protective of us. He always has been.”

 

Veronica, having finished Betty’s toenails, takes her friend’s hands in her own. “It’s going to be okay, Betty, just relax and try to enjoy yourself. You and Jug can control yourselves for a couple of days, right?”

 

Betty rolls her eyes.

 

“Of course, we’re not animals. It’s just that sometimes I think I’m ready for _more_ with him. And now, going home with Chic to see my family… it complicates things.”

 

Veronica lets out a long squeal of excitement and cries, “Oh, Betty! That’s wonderful! Don’t worry about a thing. Have fun with Jughead and have a nice holiday. If things get confusing, just sneak away and call me, okay?”

 

Betty squeezes her friend’s hand and sighs, “I will, V. Thanks.”

 

A mop of red hair pokes into Betty’s bedroom. “Ronnie, you ready to go? Chicago awaits!”

 

“Of course, Archiekins! If you’ll just carry my bags down to the car?” Veronica gestures to three suitcases by the door.

 

“Ronnie, we’re only going to be there for a few days, did you have to pack everything you own?”

 

“Don’t be silly, Archie, this is hardly _everything_. Just be a lamb and take them down.”

 

Archie sighs and loads himself up with suitcases. “Sure thing, Veronica. Merry Christmas, Betty!”

 

Betty laughs and offers a weak wave to Archie as he struggles out of the apartment. She turns to face Veronica.

 

“Thanks for your help, Veronica. I’m sure you’ll be hearing from me several times a day!”

 

Veronica presses a kiss to Betty’s cheek. “I’ll await your calls, _ma chérie_. Have a lovely holiday.”

 

\--

 

Betty lays facedown on her childhood bed, willing the dull pounding in her head to go away. The drive down to Riverdale hadn’t been too bad: Chic and Jughead goofed off for most of the ride, while Betty sat in the back and tried to read.

 

Every now and then, Jughead would catch Betty’s eye in the mirror and wink. Flustered, Betty lost her place in her book every time.

 

A knock at the door startles her from her reverie. Jughead slips through the door and gently shuts it behind him.

 

“What are you doing in here?” he asks quietly.

 

“Well,” Betty sighs, “I figure I can’t draw too much attention to myself in here. Although you being in here kind of defeats the purpose.”

 

“Come on, Betty,” Jughead croons, “it’s Christmas. The season of mercy! Besides, no one will find out. Just come downstairs and eat some cookies with me.”

 

Betty smiles despite herself. “I am not at all surprised that you found the cookies within half an hour of us being here.”

 

“Nose of a bloodhound,” Jughead jokes, before giving her a soft smile. “Come enjoy the holiday with your family, Betts.”

“I can’t, I can’t seem to relax. Go on down without me, Juggie, I’ll just see you later.” Betty mumbles the latter half of the sentence into her pillow.

 

“Oh, I know just the trick,” Jughead smirks and moves across the room. He climbs onto her bed and straddles her back.

 

“Jug, what are you doing?” Betty hisses, “This is the opposite of what should be happening right now!”

 

“Relax, Betty, I’m just trying to help you calm down,” Jughead leans down and whispers in her ear, “You are very tense.”

 

Jughead starts at her neck and loosens the knots of tension there before sliding his hands down her back.

 

“Does this help?” he murmurs lowly. Betty can only hum in response. Jughead smiles and presses kisses into her hair.

 

He works his way down her spine and rubs gentle circles into her lower back. Betty feels a familiar heat rush through her. Her body begins to react to his touch, her mind too foggy with desire to stop herself.

 

Jughead feels Betty begin to move beneath him. He presses his hands firmer against her body and leans forward to whisper in her ear.

 

“You feeling better, baby?”

 

Betty nods a bit and rolls over to face him. Her face is muddled with lust, eyes bright and searching.

 

Jughead smiles and leans down to kiss her. Just as Betty allows herself to kiss back, the door swings open.

 

“Oh, no way!”

 

Jughead and Betty spring apart at the sound of Polly’s voice. Betty slowly turns to face her sister, whose face is warped into a wide smile.

 

Polly lets out a loud cackle and clasps her hands together. “I knew it,” she cries with glee, “I just _knew_ it! Wait till I tell Jason, he’s gonna owe me twenty bucks!”

 

Betty lurches forward and grabs her sister. “No, you can’t tell Jason, Polly, please!”

 

She looks between them, confused. “And why not?”

 

Jughead rubs his neck and sheepishly answers, “We, uh, haven’t told Chic about this yet.”

 

Polly’s mouth drops open. “You haven’t told Chic that you’re dating his roommate, Betty?”

“We’re not even dating!” Betty cries and the air is suddenly sucked from the room. Jughead turns to her sharply.

 

“We aren’t?”

 

Betty feels her heart drop to her stomach. “I mean, we haven’t said…”

 

Polly puts her hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay, I won’t say anything,” she says seriously, backing out of the room. She shoots Betty a pointed look and mouths _talk to him._

 

Betty heaves a sigh and nods defensively. When the door shuts behind Polly, she turns to Jughead, who is determinedly looking at anything but her.

 

“I’m sorry, Jughead,” Betty begins, “we just haven’t talked about—”

 

“Are you seeing other people?” Jughead interrupts sharply, snapping his eyes to hers.

 

“What? Of course not,” she responds indignantly, “Are you?’

 

“No, Betty, I’m not,” he says through his teeth, “I told you I wanted you.”

 

“Yes, but Jug, all I’m saying is that we never had the conversation—”

 

“Is this why you didn’t want to tell Chic about us? Because you didn’t want to date me? Is this just sex?”

 

“Jughead, of course it started as sex, but—”

 

“Don’t worry about it, Betty. It’s fine. No one else needs to know that you deigned to be with me. I’ll be downstairs.”

 

“Juggie come on, let’s talk about this!”

 

Before she finishes her sentence, Jughead is out the door. Betty flings herself back on the bed and reaches for her phone.

 

\--

 

“I didn’t know what else to say, V, so I just shouted that we weren’t dating,” Betty whispers into the receiver, “and Jug got so upset.”

 

“Wait, are you two even officially dating?” Veronica’s voice carried through the other end.

 

“I don’t know!” Betty cries, “I mean, we’ve obviously been spending a lot of time together, but you know how Jughead is—”

 

“Let me stop you right there, B. I do _not_ know how Jughead is. That guy is an enigma if there ever was one.”

“He’s just… he’s so aloof sometimes! I _know_ he likes me, but he’s never called me his girlfriend or anything!” Betty groans in frustration.

 

Veronica is quiet for a moment.

 

“Maybe he didn’t think he had to,” she offers. “Just try talking to him again. You’ve got a good thing going on, girl. See it through.”

 

\--

 

Betty carefully treads downstairs to the living room.

 

Polly and Jason are sitting on the loveseat, watching Chic and Jughead bicker over which videogame to play. Polly catches her eye and winks.

 

Chic sees Betty in the doorway and shouts, “Betts! Please come tell Jughead that Mario Kart and eggnog is a Cooper family tradition!”

 

“We did that once, Chic, and _you_ drank all the eggnog if I recall,” Betty scoffs, trying to catch Jughead’s eye. He stares fixedly at the television screen before him.

 

“Jug,” Betty calls softy, “could you help me with something?”

 

Jughead continues to ignore her, mashing buttons on the game controller in his hands.

 

“Please, Jughead? It won’t take long,” she promises.

 

“Whatcha need, Betty? I can help,” Chic offers.

 

“No! No, it has to be Jug. It’s… uh, it’s for your Christmas present, Chic.”

 

“For me? Well then, Jughead, you better go on. I deserve only the best, after all,” Chic boasts teasingly.

 

Jughead rolls his eyes and, with what seems like herculean effort, pulls himself from the couch. He slowly makes his way towards Betty, who pulls him into the dining room.

 

“Look, Jughead,” Betty starts once safely behind the closed door. “I’m sorry about what happened before. It just seems like there’s been some miscommunication here.”

 

“I’ll say, Betty,” Jug says coolly, “I’m sorry I misunderstood all the sex.”

 

“ _Juggie_ ,” Betty groans, “when we first started seeing each other, yes I thought we would just be sleeping together. I mean, you’re my brother’s best friend and I never expected you to actually want to date me.”

 

Jughead’s eyes narrow, but he doesn’t interrupt her, so she continues. “I wanted to keep it a secret from Chic because I didn’t know how long you would want to be with me,” she mumbles, “and I didn’t want him to freak out over it if it wasn’t going to last.”

 

She takes his hand and raises her chin, willing all the bravery she has to come forth.

 

“But I didn’t realize how strongly you felt, Jug, and I’m sorry. It didn’t take me any time at all to fall for you, but I never imagined you’d fall for me too—”

 

Betty is cut off by Jughead’s lips covering her own. She responds immediately with a low groan, throwing her arms around his neck.

 

“I fell for you the day you helped Chic move into my apartment, Betts,” he whispers, peppering kisses across her face.

 

Betty swallows thickly as he kisses down her jaw, threading her fingers through his hair.

 

“When you kissed me that first time, I just thought that was it,” he breathes against her neck, “you are what I wanted, and it didn’t even occur to me to check the terms.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Betty whispers again, and Jughead again silences her with a kiss. “No, I’m sorry, Betts,” he says gently. “I never should have assumed. Especially with your brother around.”

 

“Can we not talk about him right now?” Betty asks, only half-joking, and Jughead chuckles against her lips.

 

She pulls him closer, Jughead nipping gently at her neck. He hoists her up, moving between her legs and pressing her against the wall.

 

Betty wraps her legs about him, kissing him desperately. He rocks slightly against her and Betty gasps against his mouth.

 

Behind them, the dining room door swings open.

 

Jughead lets go of Betty immediately, who drops to her feet rather ungracefully.

 

“So,” Chic says through gritted teeth, steely eyes boring into Jughead’s skull, “is this the gift you’re making for me?”

 

He steps into the room, and Betty almost feels the temperature drop with his presence.

 

“What exactly is going on here?” he asks, not taking his eyes away from Jughead. “What are you doing with my little sister?”

 

“Chic—” Betty starts to speak but is cut off by Jughead.

 

“Look man,” he sighs, “I’m sorry about what you just saw. We didn’t want you to find out like this. But I have fallen for your sister and I am so lucky to be with her. Can you be okay with that?”

 

Betty looks to him, eyes shining, and he smiles down at her.

 

“Betty?” Chic asks carefully. “What about you?”

 

She reaches for Jughead’s hand and smiles at her brother. “I’m happy, Chic. Really happy. I hope you will be, too.”

 

Chic stares at them for a moment and Betty briefly wonders if he’s going to faint. He clears his throat and looks at them seriously.

 

“If you two are happy together, then I can learn to be okay with it. But I never want to see _that_ again.” Chic takes a moment to shake the memory of his best friend pressing his little sister against the wall of his childhood home out of his head. “Jug, if you’re going to keep dating my sister then I’m eventually going to have to move out.”

 

He reaches out hand, which Jughead smiles and takes.

 

“You are my best friend,” Chic says lowly, “but if you ever hurt Betty, I will destroy you.”

 

Jughead shakes his hand in response.

 

“Never, I promise.”

 

\--

 

The rest of the day passes with Christmas cookies, carols, and stolen kisses. Chic gags when Betty feeds Jughead a spoonful of homemade frosting.

 

When they go outside for a snowball fight, he purposefully puts Betty and Jughead on opposite teams. Chic throws a snowball at the back of Betty’s head when she defects to join Jughead’s team.

 

At dinner he pretends not to see the secret smiles and shy looks between them. He kicks Jughead under the table when he not-so-subtly rests his hand on Betty’s thigh.

 

When the family settles into the living room for a movie, Chic has about had it. He watches Betty snuggle into Jughead’s side, and almost blacks out when Jughead throws his arm around her.

 

“I don’t think so,” he calls, marching to the couch, bowl of popcorn in hand. He wedges between them and sits down, forcing his sister and his friend to opposite ends of the sofa.

 

“I said I’d _learn_ to be cool with this,” he hissed. “You have to chill out on this stuff.”

 

Betty and Jughead rolled their eyes but acquiesced. He was right.

 

As the opening credits begin, Jughead snakes his arm along the back of the couch and touches Betty’s shoulder. She reaches back to grab his hand.

 

Chic pretends not to notice.

 

\--

 

Later that night, Betty sits up in bed, watching falling snow blanket the world outside.

 

The twinkling lights on the outside of the house create a soft glow in her room. Betty snuggles deeper under her blankets, unable to resist sleep’s pull any longer. _What a day this had been._

 

Her bedroom door creaks open and Jughead pops his head inside. “Betts,” he whispers, “are you asleep?”

 

“Not yet,” Betty calls softly, “What are you doing in here?”

 

“It’s almost midnight,” Jughead responds, moving over to her bedside. “I wanted to be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas.”

 

“Thank you, Juggie,” she beams, “Merry Christmas to you, too.”

 

Jughead sits next to her cuddled form and kisses her sweetly. Betty reaches up to touch his face, running her thumb across his lips.

 

“You know you can’t stay here,” Betty whispers, voice laden with disappointment. “Chic would just kill you.”

 

“I know,” he laughs, “I’m actually surprised he wasn’t camped outside your door tonight.”

 

Betty takes his hand and scoots over in bed. “You can stay for a little while, if you want.”

 

Without hesitating Jughead crawls in beside her. Warmth floods his body as she wraps herself around him.

 

 _Merry Christmas to all_ , he thinks, _but especially to me_.

 

\--

 

Chic awakes on Christmas morning as he has every year for the previous 25 years. He bounds down the stairs to have a moment to himself, gazing at the sparkling lights on the tree, the stockings on the hearth, the gifts piled high.

 

It’s crazy to love Christmas morning this much as fully-grown adult, he knows, but Chic cannot contain the joy of the day. Surrounded by his family in their home, with golden memories and shining hearts—he can’t help it; he loves Christmas.

His parents are in the kitchen already, chatting and starting breakfast preparations. He pops in to greet them and snag a cup of coffee.

 

Chic continues his yearly routine by poking his head into Polly’s room. She is curled up with Jason, who is still snoring lightly.

 

He tiptoes into the room and smiles down at his sister and her husband. Soon, perhaps, a niece or nephew would join them at Christmas.

 

Chic takes a deep breath before shouting, “WAKE UP POLLY IT’S CHRISTMAS!”

 

He barely makes it out of the room as Polly throws a pillow at him. “Do you have to do this every year?” she screams after him. He’s breathless with laughter as he reaches Betty’s door.

 

Throwing it open, his shouts die in his throat.

 

Jughead is in Betty’s room. In Betty’s bed. Jughead is in Betty’s room, in her bed, asleep. Jughead and Betty are asleep together. Spooning. Jughead is spooning his little sister. In her bed.

 

And Betty is smiling. She’s fast asleep, and she’s smiling. Chic is used to seeing Betty looking almost always slightly nervous. His little sister is never fully at ease. But here she is, asleep with _Jughead_ , and she’s smiling.

 

Jughead, too, looks more relaxed that he’s ever seen him. Whereas his sister always seemed anxious about something, his best friend was always on guard. Chic has to admit, even though the idea makes him want to stick tinsel in his eyes, Betty and Jughead do look comfortable, even natural together.

 

So Chic swallows the urge to wake Jughead with a slap to the face, and instead sucks in a breath and leans over the sleeping pair.

 

“WAKE UP JUGGIE IT’S CHRISTMAS!”

 

  

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed this silly little fic! i loved writing it. i'm a BIG chic enthusiast, find me on tumblr at chic-cooprs! happy holidays!!


End file.
